Raje remains defiant, remains incommunicado

October 22, 2009 21:17 IST

Already reeling under poor performance in Assembly elections, the BJP on Thursday faced further embarrassment with Vasundhara Raje continuing her defiance by not keeping her appointment with the party's pointsperson Sushma Swaraj to discuss her fate. Raje, the Leader of Opposition in Rajasthan Assembly, was scheduled to meet senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj.

However, she remained incommunicado, leaving the party guessing about her next move.

"Vasundhara was to meet me on October 20. But she called me to say she has to go to Mumbai for some work and will meet me on October 21 or 22. But till now, I have not heard from her," Swaraj, who has been appointed points-person to deal with her, told PTI.

The BJP has convened a Parliamentary Board meeting Friday morning to discuss the Raje issue as well as the causes for the poor performance of the party in the Assembly polls, especially in Maharashtra. Raje may be given time till the November 7 by-elections in Rajasthan, sources said.

There were apprehensions that Raje may demand removal of those at the helm of party affairs in the elections to Maharashtra and Haryana before she steps down. The party high command had asked Raje in August to own up moral responsibility for BJP's defeat in the Lok Sabha and the state assembly polls and step down as Leader of Opposition in the Assembly.